Aleksy II
1
On the morning of December 5, 2008, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Aleksy II died at the age of 79.
2
Patriarch Aleksy was born as Aleksy Mikhailovich Ridiger in Tallinn on February 23, 1929.
3
Aleksy II became the 15th patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church on June 10, 1990.
4
On June 7, 1990, the Russian Orthodox Church's Pomestny Sobor, or Council of Bishops, elected Aleksy patriarch and ascended to the post on June 10, 1990.
5
After Vladimir Putin was inaugurated, Aleksy gave the new president his blessing in the Kremlin.
6
During his patriarchy, Aleksy built up relations between the church and state.
7
Patriarch Aleksy was the honorary co-chairman of the Inter-Religious Council of the Commonwealth of Independent States and a member of the Russian President's Council for Cooperation With Religious Organizations. He has received numerous government awards.
8
Aleksy II with Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople during celebrations marking the 1020th anniversary of the establishment of Christianity in Kievan Rus
9
Under Aleksy II, a system of providing priests for spiritual leadership to the armed forces and law-enforcement bodies was established.
10
Aleksy II greets Ilya II, the Patriarch of Georgia, at a meeting in St. Daniel's Monastery.
11
Aleksy II, President Putin, and the head of the Caucasus Muslims Directorate Allakhshukyur Pasha-Zade.
12
In addition to his duties as patriarch and his social activities, Aleksy II was also a theological scholar, publishing approximately 200 works on theology, church history, peacemaking and other themes.
13
Many polls now show Orthodox believers to be a strong majority in Russia, a marked change from the situation that Aleksy inherited in 1990.